The Crisis Exposed: What MAHA Means for Your Health Department
- JoAnn Andrews
- May 27
- 3 min read
America's Children Are in Crisis — And Public Health Must Lead the Comeback
When the White House released the Make Our Children Healthy Again (MAHA) Assessment in May 2025, it made one thing painfully clear: America's children are sicker, more stressed, and more overmedicated than any generation in modern history. The crisis is no longer anecdotal—it's systemic.
"More than 40% of U.S. children now live with at least one chronic condition. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens. Nearly three-quarters of calories consumed by children come from ultra-processed foods."
As a public health administrator, this is your moment. Not just to respond—but to lead.
This blog will help you:
Understand what the MAHA report means for your local planning and funding
Connect it to your CHNA and CHIP cycles
Align with 2025’s updated RWJ Population Health Model and 10 Essential Public Health Services (EPHS)
Show how to use Ascendant Healthcare Partners’ tools to meet the moment with clarity, compliance, and national leadership
Read the MAHA Report: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/WH-The-MAHA-Report-Assessment.pdf
What the MAHA Report Reveals — and Why It Matters
The MAHA report breaks down the childhood health crisis into four drivers:
Ultra-Processed Foods – Now over 70% of daily calories
Chemical Exposure – Found in breastmilk, drinking water, and more
Digital Stress – Social media, screen addiction, and mental health collapse
Overmedicalization – Pediatric prescriptions linked to obesity, ADHD, asthma
Each driver compounds the others. They are deeply systemic, often invisible, and worsened by social inequities.
The cost of inaction? Billions in preventable healthcare spending. Entire counties unprepared for future workforce participation. Rising Medicaid loads. And funding gaps you’ll have to justify come audit season.
Learn more about the science in the CDC Children’s Mental Health Portal
Your County's Role in a National Recovery
The federal government is not just issuing reports—it’s auditing readiness.
DOGE (Department of Government Oversight and Evaluation) has already begun grant compliance checks. See DOGE audit details
HHS and CDC grants are increasingly tied to Healthy People 2030, the new EPHS, and local CHNA/CHIP documentation.Explore the 10 Essential Public Health Services
ARPA and Title V funding timelines require action by July 1 for FY 2025-2026 alignment.
This is why your next CHNA and CHIP matter more than ever. They are not just regulatory paperwork. They are the tools that:
Justify funding
Prioritize high-impact interventions
Position your department for state and federal leadership
CHNA and CHIP: Tools for MAHA-Aligned Leadership
At Ascendant Healthcare Partners, we help counties turn the MAHA findings into action.
As a nationally recognized Healthy People 2030 Champion and NACCHO affiliate, our CHNA and CHIP services are designed to:
Align with the 2025 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Population Health Model:Explore the RWJ Model
Comply with the PHAB standards and MAPP 2.0 methodology
Address all four MAHA drivers using cross-sector strategies and local data
Demonstrate ROI using our proprietary Cost to the Community Analysis™
You lead with credibility. We provide the map.
The Cost of Inaction Is Too High
Without a current CHNA or CHIP that reflects the MAHA landscape, counties risk:
Losing competitive grants
Failing DOGE and HHS audits
Under-resourcing priority populations
Politicization of public health without a documented plan
But with Ascendant, you gain:
A completed CHNA or CHIP in as little as 45 days
Visual tools that communicate urgency to stakeholders
Data-driven strategy that survives leadership turnover
Proposal-ready outputs for state and federal funders
Two Ways to Take Action — Right Now
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